seattle smarty pants

the following is a small indicator of the seattle landscape. it’s a highly educated place. lots of smart people. highly critical thinkers. rather than seeing this as a barrier, i see this as a great opportunity to engage people beyond ‘fluffy theology.’ we need to stop insulting people from the pulpit but rather engage in deep critical thought and conversation.

education is great. the problem is that – even in seattle, like in so many places – it is one of the strongest indicators of systemic injustice. the public schools aren’t doing very well at all here in seattle but it’s amazing the disparity amongst public schools in different neighborhoods in the same public school system, let alone the same region. so, education is great. i don’t want the church to neutralize the value and worth of education. of course, we don’t need to elevate it to a point of idolatry or encourage people to wear their resumes on their foreheads but why can’t we elevate the value of education and elevate the necessity of having quality education accessible, available, and attainable by all – regardless of the barriers of race and socioeconomics.

If you equate education with intelligence, then the smartest city in the United States is Seattle – 52.7 percent of its residents age 25 or older have completed a bachelor’s degree or higher.

The education rankings were released this month by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Seattle’s also been ranked as the most literate city in the United States by Central Connecticut State University, beating out Minneapolis, Washington and Atlanta. That rating was based on such things as the number of booksellers, libraries and newspaper circulation – as well as educational attainment.

Many brainy people have flocked to the Seattle area to work in what’s called the “knowledge economy.”

Companies headquartered there and in surrounding towns, including Microsoft, Amazon, Cray, Washington Mutual and Costco, all use heavy doses of information technology. Even another of the area’s biggest employers, old-line Boeing, is also a glutton for technological solutions.

Seattle also has more than its share of residents with advanced degrees: 20.5 percent.